Pages

Saturday, October 31, 2009

The first thing I do when I buy a Country Weeklymagazine every week is quickly flip through every page in search of anything 'Dierks.' Today was no exception for the November 9, 2009 issue (Carrie Underwood on the cover).

The first page I see his photo is at the top right of the Heat Index page with Keith Urban. "All For The Hall. Kudos to Keith Urban and his country star friends for their Oct. 13 concert to raise money and awareness for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum." Um, hello? 'Friends?' That is definitely Dierks Bentley in that photo with Keith. Say his name like only you can say it, please! *Just Kidding ;)

But then I turn 40 more pages and lo and behold--a full page of Mr. Bentley! Ride To Live captures the Miles & Music For Kids event in photographs and a short summary. OK, CW, you redeemed yourself for this issue!

On behalf of the 564 DB Congress representatives, we sincerely thank you for any and all DB exposure you can give us, umm...I mean Dierks, every week!

There's a new campaign to add to our daily DB list. Country Music Gone Wild hosts a Top 20fan voted list every week and Dierks is at #6 this week! According to CountryMusicGW on Twitter, "Voting always starts on Monday and ends at 5:00pm EST on Friday. Thanks for your hard work in promoting Dierks and the Top 20 Gone Wild."

I am confident DB Congress reps will dedicate an extra 10 seconds every day to vote for I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes on CountryMusicGoneWild, in addition to the campaigns above! We need all the exposure we can get for Dierks--gotta move the song to the top 10 on the BillBoard charts!

Our very own Kentucky DBC rep, LeeAnn, got published! CountryMusicCares.netposted her story about her experience and other DBC reps who attended Dierks Bentley’s Miles And Music For Kids in Nashville earlier this month.

According to theboot.com, Dierks Bentley loved Halloween, "...because as a rebellious little kid I thought it would be cool to go as a Ninja every time," he says. "It was my chance to go out and be mischievous. I'd blow up pumpkins and knock mailboxes off with baseball bats ... I'm so glad I have a daughter, oh my gosh!"

Dierks is in Michigan performing tonight and 30% of the fans voted to see him dressed up as a Hip-Hop Sideways dancer tonight! Will he do it? Maybe the DBC reps going to the show tonight can give us the scoop!

*EDIT: Found this on US99.com Chicago: Dierks Bentley and wife Cassidy are dressing daughter Evie in character for her first Halloween. Dierks explains, “Evie likes to play drums, but then she’ll take the drumstick and we’ll have like a sword fight and she kind of looks like a little Yoda. So we went online and got her a Yoda outfit — the ears and cape. But I’ll be on the road, of course, playing a gig as I am on any important date. I’ll get lots of good pictures though!”

Friday, October 30, 2009

Dierks Bentley's "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" reclaimed the #14 spot this week on Billboard's Hot 100, since Toby Keith's "American Ride" for some reason didn't go recurrent. Hm. At any rate, it will this week. Mr. Carrie, who has gotten really into the chart tracking/predictions, thinks that IWMYCYE will pick up 4 spots in the next 2 chart weeks, and will likely only face competition from Tim McGraw's latest single, "Southern Voice."

IWMYCYE is doing really well on RateTheMusic.com. It's in the top 5 for most of the top demographics (except for Men 25-34 ... don't they realize what liking that song can do for them? lol), and the burnout rate is low for how long the song has been out (for instance, Chris Young's "Gettin' You Home" has a burnout rate of 26% to Dierks's 9-11%). That should help the song stay afloat until it can get into the top 10.

Once it does get into the top 10, I'm very hopeful that Capitol Nashville will start to throw some weight behind it. Right now, all of their weight is being thrown at Lady Antebellum and Luke Bryan's current songs, which are both in the Top 8 -- slightly frustrating because Lady A, at least, does not need the promotion department's help any more for "Need You Now." But, that's just my opinion, and they get paid to do what they do. Hehe.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Thanks to Urban Country Blog, who Direct Messaged DB Congress via Twitter, we have an awesome link to a dozen Dierks photos from Madison Square Garden's website! Here's just a taste of photos by David Atlas. What a talented photographer!

GAC is re-airing their Special, "Dierks Bentley: Feel That Fire." Don't miss this encore presentation! I saw it earlier this year and have it saved on my DVR--it is really impressive the way they put the show together with live interviews with Dierks in Japan, at the hockey rink, at his house, then a song from FTF weaved in between each interview.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

I've traveled all over the country to see Dierks Bentley, and while he may be the main attraction, it's definitely all about the entire experience--meeting old friends, greeting new ones and sharing our love of every lyric, every laugh, every mile a memory. So it was a little wierd when he finally performed in my hometown of Tampa and here I was alone--just one single seat, no friends around me to share the on-stage Dierksness experience.

Wierd. It reminded me of Long Trip Alone, DB's 2006 top-ten-song about how life would be a long trip if we had to be alone with no one there to walk with a while and rest beneath their smile.

Some of my fan club friends were there in Tampa--we just never connected despite texting and walking up and down aisles. But they DID get Meet and Greets and I was excited to see their pics and read their stories that I'd like to share with you now...

Tracie (no y) flew in from Michigan. This was the DB Congress rep's first Dierks show she saw with "my girls."

"It was almost surreal as Erin and I both had Meet and Greets. It's hard to explain to some people how I became friends with people from a fan club. But if you have a common interest, regardless of what it is, knitting, NASCAR, whatever--you then find other interests in common and if you're lucky, you connect like Erin, Crissy and I have. These girls are two of the most important people in my life. They are there for me whether it's a late night call or a quick text. If it's really possible to have a soul mate I am lucky enough to have found two. I love you guys! Really this trip was about Erin and Crissy, and Dierks was the cherry on top."

Erin (no A) is a fellow Florida rep. She told me her M&G was so great. "When it came to my turn Dierks said, 'the first thing I thought when I came out was hey, I know that girl!' I gave him the picture of my tattoo that the ragweed boys signed. He said he is going to put it in his bunk! Then he told me they are trying to get some shows together for the Spring. He also promised me he'd be headlining again next year! I am so excited.

I also attached the pics of Tracie and I with Tim (Tim Sergent-steel guitar player in Dierks' band). We caught him during Brad's set. Sorry we didn't see each other at the show! I needed it so bad. It had been since May 2008 in Atlanta that I saw Dierks last. Going to the show just made me realize how much I missed it. I am truly at my happiest when I am at one of his concerts."

I had exhausted both my DB Fan Club Meet and Greets for the year so I tried wearing my WQYK neon green Tshirt for a chance at a seat upgrade or a M&G. No luck there, but one lucky little girl got to meet Dierks for wearing hers! I had won two tickets from the radio station as well but they were way back in Section 12 (I was in Section 5), so I gave them to my cousin and niece. When Brad came on, I gave up my seat to my niece so she could see him closer.

Since I was really only there for Dierks, I sat outside the amphitheater at a picnic table and got a cold drink and just people-watched for a while. Alone. Checking Twitter. Then I looked up and saw two girls with Dierks shirts sitting at another table and I boldly walked over to them (Dierks has inspired me to be bold--that is soooo not me!) and asked if they were in the fan club. "I am," said Meredith. "She's not (pointing to her friend)." "I'm just a groupie," her friend replied. Well--suddenly I wasn't so alone! There is something special about meeting Dierks fans! It's an instant bond, a cool connection!

I asked Meredith if she was in the DB Congress and she said she really didn't understand what it was all about. I explained we're just DB Fan Club Members who choose to have our user-name listed on this website under the state/country we live in, and then we do something daily to promote Dierks - call radio stations, request his latest single, vote online for his videos, etc. I gave her a DB Congress business card with this website that I had made at vistaprint.com.

I asked if she had a M&G that night and she said she's been in the DBFC since 2003 but has never applied for one. What???!!! I was floored! She said she would be too nervous. I did my best to assure her he was was just like seeing a friend you hadn't seen in a while. That he asks YOU questions and looks you in the eye--his momma brought him up right! She seemed relieved and promised to apply for the next M&G and to not be afraid! Like I said, it's about the entire experience and meeting Meredith and her friend just made my night!

While I am very loyal to WQYK, I searched for Dierks pics and videos on their website but didn't find any from that night! But US103.5 uploaded these two videos. Enjoy!

Catfish & Launa (US103.5) Tampa interview Dierks Bentley:

And I don't know where I'd be without you here'Cause I'm not really me without you there

Our friends at GotCountry? posted a follow up from Dan the bromance guy from Madison Square Garden. Apparentley, he felt like he had to say something macho to Dierks Bentley. Read his comment here.*Edit: OK, this is funny--I just found the original post we posted on Friday and guess what? Dan posted a comment on our blog, too! I didn't even see it until after I posted Got Country's! haha See Dan's comments here.

*Edit #2 - Dan was kind enough to actually send a few pics from his wife's phone:

"I headed uptown to the Garden. If country music isn't a staple in the big city, nobody told the thousands that flooded into the arena on this particular evening. With a strong, well-known dual billing of Dierks Bentley (right) and Brad Paisley, the crowd appetite for this one was palpable from the moment we took our seats. Opener Jimmy Wayne did his best to energise the audience ahead of the main acts and, to some extent, succeeded in doing so with his enthusiastic stage running and sign-waving ("How many of you have ever even remotely heard of me?", being a particularly self-deprecating and unpretentious effort).Nonetheless, he appeared slightly dwarfed by the stage and perhaps requires stronger songs to captivate at this level. 'A' for effort though. Dierks Bentley suffers from no such limitations, however, his set being warmly received and the singer himself looking every inch at home on the multi-pronged stage. With a number of songs having charted well in the past, the crowd is perfectly familiar with his catchy material and proves it by singing the words of said tunes right along with him."

Sunday, October 25, 2009

I ordered my new favorite Dierks shirt--Red--Dierks in white block letters across the front--Feel That Fire underneath...and when I received the package in the mail, there were two shirts. My first thought was, I only ordered one and I hope they didn't charge me for two! But here's the note that came with the 2007 Miles and Music shirt:

"Thank you for your order for Dierks Bentley merchandise! Please accept the enclosed FREE tee shirt with our compliments!

Dierks Bentley Merchandise."

What a nice surprise! Are they doing that for every order? I have no idea, but check out the Dierks storeand let me know when you get your next order if you got a free tee, too!

Schenectady, NY couldn't ask for a better DB Congress representative than Jane Sumner--and Country Weekly could not have picked a better letter to publish! Thanks, Jane!, for your solid support of Dierks every day. Your thank you to CW (Oct. 26) helped get Dierks noticed!

You voted on which Non-Dierks-CD song Dierks sings better and "A House of Gold"--the Grand Ole Opry performed single recorded on the How Great Thou Art: Gospel Favorites Live From The Grand Ole Opry CD, out-shined the other choices.

Three weeks ago, California DB Congress rep, janetg only knew two people that listen to country music, so she decided to go to the October 3rd Irvine Dierks Bentley show alone. She got a great seat to see Dierks and a fan club Meet and Greet to boot.

"I took a pair of "SIDEWAYS" undies I bought on dierks.com. I was the only one that brought something made of fabric. He said, "These are nice!" and told me a white tank is always good (which I was wearing). He had me pull on one side so he could sign them! I was a bit nervous since it was my first time meeting him. A nice Dierks fan behind me put me at ease! Thanks to her I held back my tears of joy!

Dierks asked for any song requests and I quickly said, "Sweet and Wild!" "She's here (Sara Buxton)," he said, "yeah I might just do that--we haven't [sang the song together] in a while." AND HE DID!

This was an awesome experience! He is so nice! One sad thing is I had taken a book for Evie and I forgot it in my car! (there was no in's and out's so I couldn't go back to get it!) My anxious nerves made me forget, after I took like 2 hours at Borders to find the perfect book!

Thanks to Stephanie, DB Congress Rep in Califorinia, and dierksfans.com, we have a race-day Bentley blurb for you.

Although Dale Earnhardt, Jr. may not be leading the race today in Martinsville, his love of country music led him to good friends like Dierks Bentley.

"Meeting Dierks Bentley was a highlight for the NASCAR star. "Dierks was great, and we've become really good friends," he says. "I think he came to a race or two, and we walked up on pit road, and I think almost at the same time looked at each other and said, 'My girlfriend dates me because I look like you' [laughs]. He's a real neat guy."

Two time platinum album certified country music artist Dierks Bentley is currently touring the nation with Brad Paisley. Dierks Bentley’s name alone isn’t the only unique aspect to his country music successes. He was raised in Phoenix, Arizona and Lawrenceville, New Jersey – two places that aren’t exactly regarded as country music hubs. Yet, listening to him perform live, one would assume that Dierks was born and raised on a Nashville with a guitar at his side. CMT would concur. They awarded Dierks with the Performance of the Year Award for 2009 [For the quartet of Country Boy with Alan Jackson, Brad Paisley and George Strait--have you ever seen Dierks smile so big before?].This casually dressed star is an unassuming subject to capture on stage with no cowboy hat or headset microphone obstructing his face. Dierks likes to get up-close and personal with the audience, as well as the cameramen. When covering Dierks for your publication, you can expect plenty of ten-feet opportunities, so leave your long range lenses at the studio. Do prepare your cameras in advance for action as Dierks tends to bounce around the stage non-stop. It would be a shame to catch a motion blur when covering the Performance of the Year!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Dierks Bentley definitely bonded with the audience at his Madison Square Garden gig this week -- maybe a little too well with one member of the audience, in fact! Opening for Brad Paisley on his American Saturday Night tour, Dierks bantered back and forth with the crowd. According to the Village Voice, Dierks called out a random concertgoer from the stage and struck up a conversation with him. Sticking his microphone in the man's face, Dierks suggested they go see a movie together. "Two dudes can hang out," Dierks professed to the crowd -- as he began to name a few of his favorite "guy" flicks."You ever see 'Old School," 'Anchorman,' 'The Hangover' ... 'I Love You Man?'" Dierks asked the now fully engaged fan, to which the guy quickly answered back, 'I love you, too!" The dry-witted Dierks deadpanned., "I was talking about the movie," after which, the budding bromance came to an abrupt end.Dierks will be sharing some love -- and compassion -- with his hometown of Phoenix on Nov. 21, That's when when he takes his Miles and Music For Kids celebrity motorcycle ride and concert on the road to raise money for the Phoenix Children's Hospital. The fundraising effort has been expanded to six cities across the country for 2009-2010, with proceeds going to Children's Miracle Network hospitals in those areas.

Unfortunately, in it's 13th week, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" slipped back one spot to #15 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. With fierce competition from both Reba and David Nail, it lost the audience battle this week (though the audience did still grow), but, as of today, has reclaimed the #14 spot, and will likely move to #13 for next week's chart.

The next few weeks are likely to be fairly frustrating for those of us waiting for IWMYCYE to break the top 10. Though it is definitely going to happen, there are 5 songs currently being "pushed" for #1, and until those songs reach their pinnacle and start to drop, the top 15 is going to remain somewhat stagnant. Movement will take place in the form of songs moving to recurrent status, rather than actual audience growth for the most part.

The best thing we can possibly do right now is just to keep requesting IWMYCYE by any and every possible means, and giving positive feedback whenever possible. It's burnout rate on RateTheMusic is very low, so that's good -- not many people are quickly tiring of the song, which should help sustain its chart run.

Keep up the great work, Congress! Top 10 is still tantalizingly close... and I know we're gonna get there someday.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

The ASCAP Country Music Awards were held at the Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville Monday night and our DB Congress president was in attendance. Seems two of his compositions earned a 2009 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) Most Performed Songs award!

I met Vicky via Twitter. Come to find out, she's not only a country music fan but a Dierks fan as well! Not only a fan, but she's in the DB Congress in Virginia! Who knew! We started tweeting to each other and pretty soon a few DMs (Direct Messages)later and she told me she was writing an article about fans who "Tweet" to support their favorite artists. So I gave my two cents and I wanted to share her article with you. Lovemycountrymusic.com is Vicky's blog site and the article is called, "Fans Take to Twitter to Promote Their Favorite Country Acts." Enjoy!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Good news! I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes finally landed in the Top 20 videos on GACTV this week at #20! On CMT's Top 20, the newest Dierks Bentley video came in at #16 for a second week, but was a no show on the CMT Pure 12-pack.

We are 559 DB Congress reps strong and it's gonna take an act of congress all working together to make this video rise to the top! Realistically, I know everyone has a life outside of Dierks, but I also know how much his music means to each of the DBC reps--all 559 of us! So, I need some help getting 100% participation on a daily basis.

It really does only take less than 5 minutes of your day to vote for the 3 video countdowns and another 30 seconds to call your local radio station every day.

So, I need your help in giving me ideas to get everyone -- all 559 -- involved for 5 minutes every day. Whoever has the best idea will win a prize!

Leave your comments now or email me at Ronna@dbcongress.com.

We can do this for our president! He has given us so much! We did it for Long Trip Alone (#1 on the video countdown 3 weeks in a row), and we can do it again!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Dierks Bentley hired two new guitarist to perform with him last night.

@DierksBentley: just finished soundchecking for the all for the hall gig...I have two really cool gtr plyrs in my band...!3:22 PM Oct 13th from TwitterBerry

When I first read that Tweet, I thought--what the heck happened to Robbie and Rod? Not to worry, just for one night Dierks borrowed legendary Vince Gill and phenomenal guitarist and host for the night, Keith Urban to play and sing back up to Bentley's Sideways and Free and Easy. After all, it was all for the hall.

The sold out "We're All For The Hall" benefit proceeds go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The show is part of the museum's "All for the Hall" fundraising initiative created and led by Gill since 2005.

CMT posted an article and photosfrom the night including host Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift. It was Vcast online for those who weren't able to get tickets.

After the show, Dierks tweeted again:

@dierksBentley: all for the hall!...thanks for the fun...miss my band. headed to station inn for a tv thing and some bluegrass! #fbabout 22 hours ago from TwitterBerry

Big D and Bubba - syndicated radio show personalities - hosted Dierks Bentley on their show this morning. This is the photo and caption they posted on their Twitter page above. I heard most of the interview. They're old pals with Dierks and kept giving him a hard time about his old 1994 truck and saying they want to pimp it out for him. Dierks never gave in, saying that was his dad's truck that he gave Dierks to come to Nashville 15 years ago and it's still going strong. Dierk talked about someone stealing the radio out of the truck--dash and all--and how he just has a cheap $100 player in there right now, and only one speaker on the right. Big D and Bubba joked about being the tweeter and the woofer. Then one of them said his wife called the station one day and asked "have you heard Dierks' new song?" he said, yeah the beginning and the end, she said you gotta listen to the whole thing (I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes). I think Bubba got lucky that night, cos he thanked Dierks for that song!

Dierks Bentley and his celeb buddies raised over $215,000 dollars for Vanderbilt Children's Hospital on Sunday through the fourth annual Miles and Music For Kids event. Thanks to our friends at Country Music Tattle Tale who are also DBC reps, here's a comprehensive lookat the Mile and Music event--they were there!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

This week, "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" cracks the top-15 and lands at #14! That is up 4 spots from last week! Awesome!

However, before we start celebrating its imminent entrance into the top-10, we need to take a look at everything that's in front of it. The top 10 is currently comprised of fairly new songs, which is generally unhelpful at the moment, because many of those songs (minus "American Ride," which is falling) are still gaining both spins and audience at a similar rate to Dierks.

A song moves to "recurrent" status when it is a "descending non-bulleted song" below #10 in either audience or spins, after 20 weeks. Also, any song that has not shown an increase in audience or spins for more than 2 weeks is moved to recurrent status. Why is this important? Because a number of the songs in the current top 10 have been on the chart for less than 20 weeks -- 7, to be exact -- which means they are less likely to fall into recurrent status within two weeks of their peak. This, in turn, slows down the potential movement for the songs just outside the top 10.

That being said, however, "American Ride" is falling, and "I'm Alive" by Kenny Chesney appears to be reaching its peak. Let's assume those two songs move to recurrent status in 2 weeks. I am guessing that IWMYCYE will move up 1 to #13 next week, just because there isn't a lot of room for it to go, and to #12 the week after. Based on songs moving to recurrent status, it would naturally move up to #10 the week after that. So it's close! It's very, very close. And my assumptions could very well be false (won't be the first time, won't be the last).

Let's turn up the heat at radio, Congress! We don't want to have to wait for those songs to fall off the charts, right? Remind your DJs that it's in the top 15 now and to give it some love! Remind them that it's up to #4 on RateTheMusic.com and is well-received by the public! Tell them we aren't stopping until we hit #1!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Results are in for last week's poll, What is the most memorable Dierks Bentley performance? It was close but Hey Jordan pulled it off! Dierks, you REALLY need to record that song, dude! People need to hear you sing that song! It will touch so many hearts and souls!

Ashland, Kentucky native Tim Sergent is a talented musician, making his living on the road as Dierks Bentley's steel guitar and banjo player. And today was no exception. It's his birthday, but he worked on stage with Dierks and the guys, performing to raise money for Vanderbilt's Children's Hospital in Nashville for DB's annual Miles and Music For Kids celebrity motorcycle ride and concert. The event raised over $215,000 this year - more than double the three previous years.

My goal this year was to meet all the guys in Dierks' band. I met Tim (and Rod) in February in Tampa at another benefit--WQYK for St. Jude's. Tim and Rod were supporting Dierks in an acoustic set and in between they were just hanging out having coffee so I asked for a photo op!

I met Tim again at Last Call Ball and also chatted a few minutes with him after The Tabernacle in Atlanta. He told me he plays the fiddle some, and I told him I'm waiting to see that added to the live show! My dream would be to see "Gonna Get There Someday" live, with Dierks singing and Tim playing fiddle!

I also found a beautiful video on YouTube of Tim showing his stuff:

Tim Sergent playing one of the new Jackson steel guitars at the show at Steel Guitar Nashville January 14, 2009 posted on YouTube by bobbeseymour

Here is a comment on YT from below that video: jd774U (6 months ago) Thanks for the great video. I knew Tim back in the 80s in Ashland KY - he was a child prodigy! ﻿ He could play anything - banjo, guitar, piano, etc. and was destined for Nashville from birth. A really great guy too, i wish we had more of him on youtube! (got any more?)

Posted on Youtube by dbcongress February 09, 2009: Originally scheduled to be pool-side, Dierks Bentley performed live inside Floyd's on this 32 degree Florida morning, at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tampa from 7-9 a.m. Audience members earned a seat by serving as Partners in Hope for St. Jude's Children's Hospital. WQYK broadcast the event live and Charley Belcher from FOX13 was also there filming live for tv.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIM! I hope you see this and hope you had a fanstastic day! See ya Friday night in Tampa!

You find some interesting stories on Twitter. After a search on @dierksbentley, I found lauraemoore, who had sent a few tweets about and to Dierks with a picture attached. So curiosity got the better of me and I asked her about it.

Friday, October 9, 2009

A little about me...I'm a single Mom to the cutest little boy (Adam) who loves to rock out to Dierks in the car. Although he's deaf and wears hearing aids, he still jams out to "Sideways!"

What is your favorite Dierks Bentley song?That's a toss up between "Close Your Eyes" and "Come a Little Closer". HOWEVER, yesterday "The Heaven I'm Headed To" really hit home and was something I needed to hear.

What is your favorite Dierks Bentley album?I think it is the Greatest Hits/Every Mile a Memory because all of my favorite songs are on that cd except "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes."

What is your favorite Dierks Bentley music video?Now THAT is a hard question... I love all his videos, but I'd have to say "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes."

What led you to be a fan?He reminded me of a friend of mine in a way and that's what started my attraction. Since then, I've just gotten into him and I LOVE his music! I got the chance to see him in concert in 2006 as an opening act for Kenny Chesney. I left the show shortly after KC got on stage because I was there to see Dierks. (and my mom was there to see Sugarland-- after that nothing else mattered!)

How do you promote Dierks Bentley?I have bought all his cd's and I even have the RockBand Country pack with his music on it! I am taking a friend to see Dierks in concert next month here in Lexington. I play his music everywhere, and I'm teaching Adam (my 18 month old son) to say "I'm With the Band" LOL!I've followed Dierks' career for a few years, even when I wasn't into Country Music as a whole, but I still stayed on top of what he was doing. He's the only 'star' I've ever joined their fan club, and the only one I've seen more than once in concert.

I have several good life memories tied to his music. One memory that I can think of was to "What Was I Thinking." My little brother and myself sitting at the ATM pushing in the wrong code for his card and both of us singing that song. I remember him asking me what it meant "hood sliding like Bo Duke" (he's MUCH younger than me and was clueless). Dierks is the ONE performer that my brother and I still agree on to this day, which makes long car trips much easier!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Welcome to our newly joined members(bringing our total to 559!):Shonda, lovedierks1(Canada), elev8me(California), and Felonee(California)!

To celebrate the entrance of "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" into the Top 20 this week, Ronna and I are excited to share a story and different perspective of the song with our fellow Congress members.

Most who read this are familiar with the story of honorary Congress member Bud, and familiar with his love of our President, Mr. Dierks Bentley. Recently, his mom (MOM-NOS) wrote a blog about "Close Your Eyes" and Bud's interesting take on it. As she writes:

Bud actually has a different vision for "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes." Last week as he was getting ready for bed, we were talking about songs and the emotions they convey. (I've found that this is an especially useful tool to help my little music fan try to adopt another person's perspective to sort out how that person feels and why s/he might feel that way.) We were making our way through Feel That Fire tracks ("Life on the Run" is angry and maybe afraid... "Sideways" is happy, but the "HEY! now" in the lyric might be a little surprised...) when Bud asked "And what kind of song is 'I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes?'"

"Well," I said, "It's a love song."

"No," Bud replied. "It's a lullaby."

"A lullaby?"

"Yes," he said. "Dierks sings it to Evie when she needs to go to sleep."

I reviewed the lyrics in my head - the ones that, up until that moment, could only be about one thing - and suddenly I could see how, when taken from Bud's perspective, they could also be describing a daddy getting his baby ready for bed:

Girl I've been waiting on this long hard day to get overSo I can rest my head right here on your shoulderI just wanna lay here and feel you breatheListen to the rhythm of your heartbeat ...We're wide awake but, girl, I wanna make you close your eyes

What a fabulous, refreshing, and heartwarming take on the song! I should mention that Bud is, so far, 2-for-2 on "his" songs from "Feel That Fire" going to #1 on the charts, and 3-for-3 for choosing the singles from "Feel That Fire." It's a good thing he likes "Close Your Eyes" so much, because he's sure to hear a lot of it in the near future.

IWMYCYE is currently 4th in increased spins, both for the published (charting) stations, and all country stations. It's just about doubled it's spins from where it was just one week ago, up nearly 800 new plays! It is 4th on RateTheMusic.com in the "People 25-54" demographic (the largest demographic). It is 7th in overall audience gain (which you'll remember is what the charts are based on). With the amount of plays it's picking up, that audience number is sure to follow soon.

Based on that information, as well as at least one song moving to recurrent status next week, it appears IWMYCYE will move to #16. That's a conservative estimate ~ it's highly possible that it could be as high as #14, though quite a lot of things would need to fall into place for that to happen. Regardless, our Prez has a bona-fide hit on his hands -- not that we're surprised!

For those of you heading to Nashville this weekend for Miles and Music, I hope your travels are safe and your times are good!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Two of our DB Congress members, representing California, won Meet and Greets before the San Diego show October 2. Notice Dierks is wearing a "Spiritual Gangster" shirt. That's new and different from the plaid or plain T's! I hope you enjoy both experiences from Janet and Stephanie below!

JanetM:Friday, it's been hot here and today it started to get cloudy, humid and then rain. Oh No! It hasn't rained since February you see, and this is fire country. So we are thrilled for the rain and crushed that it decided to do it the one day Dierks is in town playing in an outdoor amphitheater. Cricket Wireless Amp. is about 10 miles from the Mexican border, in an area that used to be the middle of nowhere, but is surely becoming part of the Chula Vista suburbs. Pretty rolling hills that look a littler greener today. The rain off and on stops about 4:30 as I drove in. I was a tailgate party of one, with my Dierks Flag sticking out the sun roof of the car.

So I sat in the back end facing the Amphitheater and listened to Dierks do sound check. Sound check started 3 hours late, so that backed us all up in getting in. While waiting, I handed out business cards to the locals to join Dierks.com and made new friends in the fan club, all wearing their Meet & Greet passes. We congregated to the side of the stage and Brittany finally let us go back.

We stood there in a circle until Dierks arrived. He took alot of time, wasn't rushed and talked to everyone, took pictures and then talked about coming to San Diego as a kid for the summers (that Zoni). [Zonis come every summer and on Labor Day, us natives take the place back.] He talked about being here for a vacation early one morning and he & Cass were walking on the beach when he was approached by a guy with a video camera. "Oh no," groans Cass. Dierks says the guy just asked him about how he liked the weather and asked him his name. No recognition. Dierks just laughed.

We told him that NBC had played 'Sideways' on the morning show two days ago. Fely, who works for NBC San Diego was in the crowd and she was responsible for it. "Jason pronounced your name right," I said. "Really?" Dierks replied. Finally, we had to go. He still was going to see the people the radio stations had lined up for him and wanted us to see Jimmy Wayne's set.

Dierks hit the stage singing Sideways, running, sliding, hitting all three platforms. He ventured up the stairs into the crowd at one point. After Sideways, he talked to the crowd and mentioned that the last time he was in town it was a little different venue - the Casbah Bar. Funny, since that's what we talked about in the M&G. If I was really good, I'd remember all the songs he sang, but I was too busy living the moment.

During So So Long he walked down (ran) the center aisle looking at the crowd. I was three people from the end of the row at the end of the ramp. He pointed at me and waited until I got to the edge of the stage, grabbed my hand and spun me around. Now you have to understand that the stage is over my head by about a half a foot, I am tripping on the stage equipment, and I get caught and can't whip around. Okay, sadly there is someone who dances even worse than Dierks. He thinks it's funny too and is laughing while he's singing as he lets me go. He sits down at the end of the stage sticks the mic in a girl's face and says "what's your name?" She answers and he says "Nice to meet you, but I have to go back to work now," rolls back and continues to sing So So Long. So much for multi-tasking!

At the end when as he was getting ready to sing 'What Was I Thinking" he sits at the edge of the stage and asked someone if they watched a Will Ferrell movie. The girl had no clue. So I suspect everyone today is trying to figure out the Ron Burgundy references. Nice try Dierks! Last song was Free and Easy. It was over way, way, too quickly. How I love to watch him sing!

========================================

Stephanie (beaglefan21)A few months before the show, I saw the San Diego show was right next to Evie's first bithday. So I got the idea she needed a birthday card! I told my friends on dierksfan.com and let everyone sign up for their name on the card. Some just gave their name, some had screen names and where they where from. I added them all the day before the show and wrapped it up and could not wait to give him the card. I could not wait for that!

The day got going when my friend Ivory and I left around three for the show at seven thirty and we had Dierks playing all the way there! We picked up my meet and greet pass and turned around to see none other then fellow DBC'r JANET! We said our hi's and how are yous then we waited for a bit for them to let us in! Then we found the meet and greet area and waited a bit talking to few people around me. Jimmy Wayne fans went in first and we had to wait until he was done before we went in.

As we walked in, Jimmy walked out! We all said hi but he just went on walking. But as we waited I was near a few girls who where just the 'lets-get-a-meet-and-greet-never-get-on-the-board fans.' They called me crazy knowing so much about DB and about the card I got for Evie. But I did not care--I was happy I knew so much about him and happy for the card. But no matter what if you are a big fan, knowing all about him, if you pass out stickers or run a site for him, or just go to his show you are his fan!

So once we got in the area, that was pretty dark and there was Dierks' background thing and Brad's across from his. Eveveryone was taking pictures of it so i did too, but it looks much better with DB in front of it! Once he was there was when the nerves hit! My heart was going crazy and I watched as one after another met Dierks--one girl giving him a coffee cup even!

But before I knew it, I was up! It was so great--right off he went for a hug and smiled and said, "You've been to my shows before I've seen you!" Aw...it had been a year since I last saw him at the Knitting Factory, and three years since I last met him. But he said, "Yeah, I remember you from here when I said this was where I last met him. I gave him the card saying it was for Evie from me and some of his fans. He said thanks and how her birthday was in two days. He put it in his pocket and I am sure he looked at it later. There was much more I wanted to tell him about the card and how dierksfans.com was on it, but you know you can't waste time. Inside, the card said, "wishes to you for a day of birthday fun!"

I wished I could have told him I got him a fan from Indonesia to join the DB Congress, but time ran out. Maybe next time right? I had the Country Weekly--the one with just him on the cover. He signed it, 'Love ya, Dierks.' Then another hug, and I went and waited at the side until everyone else met him.

Then we all got to get close to him and talked about his favorite Mexican food, and how he was walking on the beach with Cassie when some news guy did an interview with him but he had no idea who Dierks was. He was sweet and we talked for a little bit. Then it was time for the group shot. I always told myself get near the middle in front of Dierks--and I got it! Right in the middle! And soon I felt his hand on my shoulder. It was great--that made me happy! Then sadly he had more to meet and we had to go. We said good bye, and good luck and it was time for the show.

Jimmy got everyone going and Dierks rocked it! He made jokes, sang his songs perfectly and looked great. Brad came out at the end and he did great too! The last song when Brad, Jimmy and Dierks sang, it was perfect. There was even some "surfing!" What a great night!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Just three days from now, rock band Three Doors Down lead vocalist Brad Arnold and guitarist Chris Henderson, will join Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Darius Rucker, and Michele Branch, Wynonna and Heidi Newfield at Bentley's fourth annual Miles and Music For Kids fundraiser to benefit Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

The October 11th event in Nashville, Tennessee starts with a celebrity motorcyle ride ending in the star-studded concert at Riverfront Park.

I know many DB Congress members are planning to be there to support Dierks in this worthy cause, which has raised over half a million dollars in the last three years events. Some fans are also planning to visit the children's hospital to drop off get-well cards! Please let us know about your experience when you get home!

Click hereif you're making last minute plans to visit Music City for this special event!

Although he can say my name like only he can say it, I didn't close my eyes for Dierks Bentley. I can't believe I was able to stay awake until 12:30 Monday night/Tuesday morning, but it was worth every second of trying to stay awake at work the next day to see the 4 minutes and 39 seconds of Dierks Bentley on The Tonight Show.

No talk time with Conan O'Brien, but singing late at night is defintely DB's specialty, especially "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes." Watch the whole thing to see Ellen Page and Kevin Nealon, or skip to Dierks at the 38 minute mark. Notice after the song Conan comes over and shakes Dierk's hand--it's rather obvious how tall Conan is--and I thought Dierks was fairly tall at nearly 6 foot--at least compared to me at 5'3. While credits are rolling you can see the two talking about the pinky hole in Dierks' guitar, and the guys in the band are all nodding their heads. YES! You did good, guys! Congrats!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Minnesota DB Congress rep, Renee (DB_KU_WWEGirl) is the winner of the FREE DB Congress T-Shirt! Here's how she promotes Dierks Bentley on a daily basis...

I Twitter, so on Follow Fridays I make sure to promote @DierksBentley and I also RT(Retweet) his tweets. I make sure to call the radio station one time per DJ shift to request his newest single to try and get it to #1. I also make sure to do my voting on CMT.com, GACTV.com, and any online polls that I come across. I Facebook and I post about Dierks along with following him and making comments. I am a member of DBCongress.com, Dierks.com, Dierksfans.com and I make sure to wear my Dierks shirts when I'm out and about. I have a Dierks window cling on my car. I also have pictures from the DB M&G's at my desk at work.

When Dierks sent my son a get well soon package when he had open heart surgery, I made sure to pledge my loyalty to him at that moment, and I've never backed down. I made the trek to Denver, CO for the DVD taping, and Carrie the button lady gave me wonderful buttons that I have displayed in my car. I also have the DB Congress dog tags hanging in my car. I got pulled over once, and the officer asked me about it, and I explained and promoted the Dierks Greatest Hits album!

I had another baby back in 2007, and we are in the assessment phase of finding out if he is autistic and so he's a bit of a handful so I don't get to roadtrip as often as I'd like, but I make sure to get out to as many local shows as possible.

Thank you to all the DB Congress reps who entered the contest! You all are making a huge difference in making Dierks #1! Keep coming back here to dbcongress.com! We plan to give away more FREE T-Shirts for top DB promoters periodically!

Follow DBC Blog by Email

About Us

We are die-hard Dierks Bentley Fan Club Members, supporting and promoting him every day to make and keep him #1! Join the fun! Email dbcongress@yahoo.com today! Go to Dierks.com to officially join the Dierks Bentley Fan Club!